The Saint Mary’s women’s tennis team returns to conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals host Bethel in a 1:30 p.m. matchup at the Winona Tennis Center.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2024: 1-3 MIAC, 7-5 Overall

BETHEL ROYALS

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2024: 1-0 MIAC, 11-0 Overall

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SMU-BU * LAST MEETING:

April 20, 2023 * Minneapolis, MN

L, 9-0 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

March 16-17, 2024 * Fargo, ND

UMN Morris * W, 8-1; Concordia * W, 5-4

BETHEL * LAST ACTION:

March 14, 2024 * Orlando, FL

Salve Regina * W, 9-0

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

April 5, 2024 * Minneapolis, MN

Hamline * 2:30

April 6, 2024 * Winona, MN

St. Scholastica * 1:30

BETHEL * UP NEXT: 

March 26, 2024 * Minneapolis, MN

Hamline * TBA

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their conference matches against Bethel and Macalester sitting at 7-5 overall, while sporting a 1-3 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: Saint Mary’s picked up back-to-back wins last weekend, beating UMN Morris 8-1 last Saturday, before rallying for a 5-4 MIAC win over Concordia the following day to extend their winning streak to four.

• WINNING BIG: Sixteen of SMU’s last 23 wins have either been 9-0 or 8-1 decisions — including a 9-0 sweep of Crown and five 8-1 victories this season.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Saint Mary’s match against Bethel at the Winona Tennis Center on Saturday ends a string of six consecutive road matches. … After Saturday’s home match against the Royals, SMU will play back-to-back road contests against Macalester and Hamline, before playing four of their final five regular-season matches on their home courts. … SMU is 11-11 in its last 22 home matches — including 1-3 this season and 4-4 in 2023. … SMU has picked up 15 of its last 27 wins at the Winona TC.

• NEW TERRITORY: The Cardinals’ September showdown with UW-River Falls marked the first time in head coach Jeff Halberg’s 25-year tenure that SMU has played a dual match in the Fall of the academic year. 

• STREAKING ALONG: The Cardinals’ wins over UMN Morris and Concordia last weekend extended their winning streak to four — a run that include back-to-back-to-back 8-1 victories. SMU’s four-match run is its longest since winning a program-record 11 in a row during the 2019 season.

• STREAKING ALONG II: With their 8-1 win over UW-RF on Sept. 16, Saint Mary’s has now faced the Falcons 20 times since 1997 — winning all 20 contests.

• STREAKING ALONG III: Fueled by their 8-1 victory against Martin Luther on Jan. 28, 2023, the Cardinals ran their winning streak over the Knights to 17. SMU is 18-1 overall against MLC — and have won nine of its last 10 between the two teams by 9-0 counts. … Saint Mary’s has dropped just 12 games in its nine doubles matches against the Knights over the last three years.

• PERFECTION: The Cardinals did not drop a game in their 9-0 sweep of Crown on Feb. 16 — winning all three doubles matches 8-0, and taking all six singles contests by identical 6-0, 6-0 outcomes.

• SINGLED OUT: Ella Boomgaarden (St. Peter, Minn.), Emily Dondelinger (Bemidji, Minn.), and Elena Ruzevich (Chicago, Ill.) all share the team lead with seven singles wins, one more than Natalie Peterson (St. Cloud, Minn.), and two in front of both Emily Henderson (Jordan, Minn.) and Kathryn Stiegel (Sauk Rapids, Minn.). … Boomgaarden heads into the weekend having won each of her last four singles matches, while Dondelinger has won three straight. … As a team, Saint Mary’s is 41-30 in singles play this season.

• WIN NO. 1: Dondelinger, Ruzevich, and Lillian Kimber (Duluth, Minn.) have all picked up their first collegiate singles wins this season. … Dondelinger and Ruzevich both posted win No. 1 in SMU’s 8-1 victory over UW-River Falls on Sept. 16, while Kimber picked her first win as a Cardinal against King’s on March 6.. … Stiegel was the lone SMU player to pick up her first collegiate singles victory last season, winning 6-2, 6-3 against Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 25, 2023.

• MIXING THINGS UP: Saint Mary’s has used at least two different players at every position this season. SMU has used five different players at No. 5 singles, three at No. 6, and two at each of the other four spots. The Cardinals used at least two different players at all six singles positions in 2023. Two different SMU players competed at No. 1 singles, while four competed from the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 slots, and five lined up in the No. 5 and No. 6 positions.

• DOUBLING UP: The Cardinals have had eight different doubles combinations account for their 15 doubles wins this season — with Boomgaarden/Peyton Buerman (Shawano, Wis.) leading the way with five victories. The duo are 5-1 as a doubles combination and head into the weekend riding a four-match doubles winning streak. … Ruzevich/Peterson have teamed for four doubles wins, while Dondelinger/Henderson have three. … Individually, Boomgaarden leads the way with seven doubles wins, one more than Peterson, Ruzevich, and Buerman. … As a team, SMU is 19-16 in doubles play this season.

• TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: Thanks to their 6-2 show in their eight nonconference matches this season, the Cardinals are now 84-23 against nonconference opponents since 2012.

BETHEL SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Royals head into their Saturday showdown against Saint Mary’s riding a season-opening 11-match winning streak, including a 9-0 win over Concordia in its lone MIAC contest thus far.

• LAST TIME OUT: Bethel is coming off a perfect 5-0 mark during its spring trip to Orlando, Fla., beating Piedmont (7-2), Springfield (6-3), Hope (5-4), Saint Francis (9-0), and Salve Regina (9-0).

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Royals have played just one true home match, while sporting a 10-0 mark on the road — including a 9-0 showing in neutral-site matches.

• SINGLED OUT: Julia Baber and Lauryn Douglas enter the weekend leading the team in singles wins with 10 each, one more than both Michaella Sullivan and Emma Thole, while Bryna Eigenfeld and Courtney Nuest each have eight wins. … Douglas has played all 11 matches this season at No. 1, going 10-1, while Baber has matched that mark at No. 3. … Sullivan has played all 11 matches at No. 2, sporting a 9-2 mark, with BU using at least two different players at No. 4, 5, and 6 singles. … Thole heads into BU’s match against Saint Mary’s riding a seven-match singles winning streak. Nuest has won six straight and Douglas has won five in a row. … As a team, BU is a whopping 57-9 in singles play this season.

• DOUBLING UP: Thole and Sullivan have teamed up for seven doubles wins, top among BU doubles pairs. The tandem are a perfect 7-0 at No. 2. … Baber/Douglas and Eigenfeld/Nuest are tied for second with six doubles wins each. … Individually, Sullivan leads BU with 11 doubles wins, going 11-0, while Douglas has also reached double figures in doubles wins with 10. … As a team, BU — which has used at least three different doubles combos at all three positions — is 27-6 in doubles play.